NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC23LA046
Registry · N3321B
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-22
Engine
LYCOMING 0-290 SERIES (140 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560719
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A39FBA
Registrant of record
LEE DONALD R
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s encounter with a downdraft while maneuvering low-level, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Factual narrative
While maneuvering a float-equipped airplane low-level over a river, the pilot turned the airplane downwind and it encountered a downdraft. The airplane subsequently lost altitude and the pilot added power to climb; however, the airplane’s float impacted a gravel bar adjacent to the river. The airplane came to rest in an area of gravel-covered terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Effect on equipment
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_ANC23LA046.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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